On the Road Toward Energy Independence

With all the bad press about the renewable energy industry, it's easy to miss the fact that we are moving steadily down the road towards energy independence. It's a trip that we need to make, but it hasn't been easy and there's no way we can afford to coast now.

First, we need to be proud of the progress we’ve made so far. Costs for rooftop solar equipment have plummeted. Germany is miles ahead of the U.S. in this regard; in Germany a rooftop system costs about $2.50/watt – about half the price of a comparable system in the U.S. At one peak time in May, solar provided an astounding 30 percent of Germany’s national energy demand. Fully installed rooftop solar can be cheap.

Speaking of cheap, natural gas is providing our economy with a short-term bridge towards a renewable future. Until we have cost-effective, high-capacity energy storage and a hundred times more renewable energy than we have now, we will need the peaking and base load capacity that natural gas provides. Cheap natural gas is a good thing, and we need to encourage the development of clean and cost effective domestic fuel sources.

Ticking off a few more mile markers: electric vehicles are a commercial reality; utilities are major consumers of solar panels and generators of clean electricity; and new financing techniques are making renewable energy projects more affordable than ever.

We need to buckle up for the tantrums from the children in the back seat. The growing crescendo of political yelling and screaming can be quite distracting. Every four years we are subject to the same arguments: “the other guy’s energy policies are bad, and mine are good.” Wahhh, wahhh, wahhh.

There are plenty of dead ends along the way, and there will be more. A recent MIT study found that the $6.9 billion invested in carbon capture and storage is unlikely to ever make coal clean. The billions invested around the world for construction of the hydrogen highway is turning out to be a washout (remember that President Bush made the first big push for hydrogen-powered cars to wean us off foreign oil). And the promise of thin film solar turned out to be an elusive mirage when we got closer to the reality of really cheap crystalline silicon. Mistakes like these are inevitable; just back up and get back on the road.

Unfortunately, this is a hazardous road. Some companies gradually coast to the side of the road as they run out of gas. Other companies crash spectacularly, burning their fellows in the resulting accusatory flames. So there will be more casualties along the way; it’s part of the journey.

Finally, there are laws that must be obeyed. In addition to our ethics, there are two other Rules of the Road. The Laws of Thermodynamics won’t bend or break — trespassers will be violated. The Laws of Economics mean that new energy technologies will only succeed if they are economically superior to the technologies they replace.

So when you’re reflecting on this year’s Independence Day, keep in mind how much progress we’ve made. Don’t be demoralized by the bumps, distractions and dead ends. Have a hot dog and a cold beer and enjoy the ride.

4 Comments

Barry could you pleass contact me. I have just received Patent pending status on a revolutionary new Built In Solar PV Thermal panel that is a structural element and the water resistant roof surface as well. It can be used to collect rain water and works in conjunction with any type of roofing material. American energy independence here we come. The website is just being set up now. www.orionsolartech.com

Cheap natural gas is anything but good for the renewable energy industry, the environment and our future as a species. It is a bridge to nowhere. An industry doews not ramp up to the level seen currently in unconventional gas development with the idea that it is a short-term solution. We will exploit the resource until the last molecule has been sucked out of the shattered rock. Numerous valid, peer reviewed reports are now out there on the damage drilling and hydraulic fracturing do to our water supplies and the atmosphere. The process is the epitome of stupidity and ample evidence of just how far we still have to go. I have a particulary personal perspective on this matter. I've lived off-grid for nearly 20 years now, empowered by solar PV. The prices have dropped 8-fold since we installed our system. It can be done right here and right now. In 2010, our water supply was impacted by the hydraulic fracturing of a CBM gas well. Clear and clean since we drilled the well, our water turned turbid and full of sediment the day they fracked. It turned out the highest fracture zone was only 400' below the bottom of our well. We went through the whole painful process with the state, only to have them declare that although our water had obviously been impacted, we could not conclusively prove it was due to the hydraulic fracturing. I'm a bit unclear as to where else that DRO, toluene, 2-BE and other chemicals would have come from, since we live very remotely at the top of the watershed with no other potential sources of indutrial pollution for a 40 mile radius. The rush to exploit unconventional natural gas is an environmental disaster unfolding before our eyes. Do not believe the industry hype about energy independence. Even now they are building the infrastructure to ship this fossil energy, gained at a tremendous cost to the environment, overseas to foreign markets.

Yea! A promo piece from the natural gas industry. The good thing about NG is that it's only half as bad as coal. The bad thing about NG is that it's half as bad as coal. Let's get on with the job of building a truly clean grid. One that we, and the generations that follow us, can live with. Leave carbon underground where it doesn't endanger our future.

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Barry Cinnamon is a long-time advocate of renewable energy and is a widely recognized solar power expert. He is the host of the weekly Energy Show on KLIV radio and Renewable Energy World. Based on decades of hands-on installation experience,...